User:Bri/Northwest Computer Society

The Northwest Computer Club/Northwest Computer Society was a Seattle computer hobbyist club in the 1970s... Initially held meetings at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle...

The March 1976 issues of Byte magazine had a notice about a new computer club in Seattle. Bob Wallace was listed as a contact person. The Northwest Computer Club held meetings at the Pacific Science Center (near Seattle's Space Needle.)

Bob Wallace wrote a column for the newsletter called "Bob's Bits". From the February 1978 column: "Microsoft is hiring systems programmer to work on APL, BASIC, COBOL, and FORTRAN for the 8080, Z-80, 6502, and 8086 as well as operating systems and other interesting projects. Applicants should have at least a bachelor's degree and a year of assembly language experience. Contact Paul Allen at (505) 262-1486, or write to them at 300 San Mateo NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Microsoft is the leader in microcomputer systems programming. I've applied myself, by the way." One of Wallace's club projects was to hold a Personal Computer Fair at the Pacific Science Center. The April 1978 show drew over 5000 people and had over 60 computers on display for visitors to use. Shortly after that show, Bob finished his degree and joined Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Fair was repeated in March 1979 and drew over 6000 people.

The fact that the group's newsletter was electronically composed "ahead of most American newspapers", on a PDP-11/70, was considered newsworthy in 1980.